Laurence Duggan

Laurence "Larry" Hayden Duggan (May 28, 1905 - December 20, 1948), was head of the South American desk at the United States Department of State during World War II. In 1948, Duggan fell to his death from the window of his office in New York, ten days after being questioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation about whether he had had contacts with Soviet intelligence.

For many years he was widely thought to be an innocent and loyal public servant who was driven to suicide by unfounded accusations. In the 1990s, evidence from decrypted Soviet telegrams was revealed which indicated he had engaged in espionage for the Soviet Union.

Born in New York, Duggan studied at the Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University, before graduating in 1927. He worked for a number of years at the State Department—nine of those said years as head of the Latin American Division, and four of those as adviser on political relations. Starting in 1946, he was president of the Institute of International Education, which provided for a flow of exchange students between the United States and several other countries.

Duggan was recruited by actress Hede Massing as a Soviet spy in the mid-1930s. Duggan told the FBI that Henry Collins of the Ware group had also tried unsuccessfully to recruit him. Duggan was a close friend of Noel Field of the State Department. The GRU had also tried to recruit him through Frederick Field.

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